Om Dar-B-Dar

Kamal Swaroop's 1988 Indian film follows Om, a young man in a town in Rajasthan. He can hold his breath for a long time; his father left a government job for astrology and the family's life came apart with that decision. The film refuses to build a narrative. There is no causal link between scenes; the dialogue mixes advertising slogans, scientific terms and religious texts. Frogs, mining and religion are used together. The film could not be released when it was made and was seen for years only at festivals, reaching commercial screens in twenty fourteen. It is among the most cited examples of the experimental strain in Indian cinema. Who it's for: those who like experimental cinema and anti-narrative structures. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a followable story; the film deliberately withholds one.